Wrapping device



June 13, 1961 H. B. MILLER 2,987,864

WRAPPING DEVICE Filed March 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 13, 1961 H. B. MILLER 2,987,864

WRAPPING DEVICE Filed March 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,987,864 WRAPPING DEVICE Harmon Baker Miller, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Miller & Miller, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Mar. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 797,286 1 Claim. (Cl. 53-390) The present invention relates to improvements in packaging machines. More particularly, it pertains to a device for the direct wrapping or overwrapping of various products and containers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is especially suited for packaging produce and has distinct advantages over other wrapping means. It permits the use of low cost film, wraps faster, uses less film per package, cuts film inventory, and is portable.

It is extremely versatile in its use and basically lends itself to three types of packages, namely, the sleeve wrap, the bag wrap and the overwrap. The sleeve wrap uses a minimum of film and leaves both ends of the package exposed; it is suited for uniform size fruits, celery, corn, bananas, and the like, and may be used with orwithout trays or cartons. The bag wrap is a variation of the sleeve wrap with one end tucked under and heat sealed; it is suited for products such as endive, asparagus and leaf lettuce where one end is left exposed, and is usually used without trays or cartons. The overwrap is the same as with other types of film wrapping and has the ends tucked under and sealed; it is recommended for grapes, ungraded fruits, beans, and the like, and is almost always used with trays or cartons.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a packaging device which is sturdy and durable of construction and well suited to operate in a practical and eflicient manner.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wrapping machine embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view, similar to FIGURE 2, with the top plate cut away along each side;

FIGURE 4 is a section view on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 with the film in position; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings there is shown in FIGURE 1 a base frame on which the various elements of the device are mounted. At one end are a pair of rollers 11 adapted to hold the necessary size roll of heat scalable wrapping film or sheet material 12. The rollers 11 are set in ball bearing bushings 13 held in the frame by screws 14 (FIGURE 5). As shown in FIG. 4 the lower supporting rollers 11 for the material roll 12 have .their respective top surfaces along a line which is not higher than the level of the first platform, the first platform which is at the forward end of table 17 and constitutes a first stationary platform for wrapping the package. As shown in FIG. 4 the second stationary platform constitutes a working table surface for heat sealing. As a result of the specific location of the top surfaces of rollers 11 along a line which is not higher than the level of the first stationary platform for wrapping the packaging sheet material from the packaging roller is fed at substantially the same level from the starting point at the bottom of the material roll 12 along the respective top surfaces of rollers 11 and at the first stationary platform. The forward movement of the web from the roll to the platform is along substantially the same horizontal level. At one end of the rollers a plate 15 of fibre or other suitable material is interposed between the frame and the ends of the rollers. A thumb screw 16 is threaded through the frame and presses against the plate 15 so that friction can be increased or decreased against the ends of the rollers. This serves as a brake whereby the rotation of the rollers can be slowed down to increase the tension on the wrapping material as it is pulled from the roll set on the rollers.

Positioned in the center of the frame forward of the rollers is a wrapping surface or table 17 secured to each side of the frame. The wrapping material in the first instance is pulled from the roll over the table 17 and the product to be wrapped is rolled in the material and pulled forward. At the forward end of the table is a hot wire 18 for cutting the wrapping material at the desired length. After the material wrapped around the product has been cut off, it will be seen (FIGURES 1 and 2) that the material is on the table ready to receive the next product. In each wrapping operation the material is not cut ofi until the wrapping has been completed. In this way, the material for the next operation is in its proper place on the table. The table is provided with cutouts 17a to facilitate picking up the wrapping material from the table preparatory to the next wrapping. The end of the wrapping material rolled around the product is preferably tucked under to make a neater package and the bottom of the package is touched against the hot plate 19 with slight pressure, thereby making an instantaneous seal of the package. If either or both ends of the package are also to be sealed, the wrapping material is folded over the end and heat sealed by touching it against the hot plate. The hot plate 19 is covered with a sheet 20 of material to which heat scalable coatings will not adhere when heat is applied and which will give even distribution of heat to the surface and prevent burning of the fingers, e.g. Teflon (polytetrafluorethylene coated or impregnated glass fabric). This sheet is held to the plate by screws 21 at the front and by springs 22 at the back end.

The electric current is fed into the device through line 23, one circuit of which runs through the thermostat 24 to the heating element of the hot plate 19'. Such thermostat permits setting the temperature to provide the best seal under the particular work room temperature. The sealing qualities of the film are affected by temperature, dwell time and pressure. Accordingly, if the temperature is set correctly, the dwell time will be very short and only slight pressure on the hot plate will make an instantaneous seal.

The other circuit of the line 23- runs to an on-ofi switch 25, a transformer, a coil 26, and the hot cutting wire 18. The cutting wire is set at the proper temperature, usually by the manufacturer, and requires no further adjustment by the user. It will not cause burning by lightly touching but only upon steady pressure with the fingers.

This device has been described in suificient detail to make its operation apparent. Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the acasszeea V companying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be'said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pattent is:

A packaging device having means for cutting sheet material fed thereto and means for heat sealing a package Wrapped therein and comprising a base frame, a pair of spaced lower rollers mounted transversely of said base frame for supporting a packaging material roll placed on said rollers, a table mounted on said base frame having a stationary platform for wrapping a package thereon, said lower supporting rollers for said material roll having their respective top surfaces along a line which is not higher than the level of said wrapping platform whereby packaging material in the form of a web fed from the bottom of the material roll passes along said respective top surface of said supporting rollers to position said web at substantially the same level as said wrapping platform in the forward travel of the material across said lower supporting rollers to the wrapping platform, said lower supporting rollers serving to tension. said web in its forward travel, each of the ends of each I 4 of said lower supporting rollers being mounted in said base frame by bushings, a friction plate which is interposed between a mounting bushing at an end of each of said rollers and the inner edge of said base frame to increase the frictional engagement of said lower roller with said inner edge of said frame and impart thereby additional tensioning of said web in its forward travel from said material supply roll to said table and a friction plate adjusting device threaded through the edge of said frame and bearing against said friction plate to urge said rollers into greater or lesser pressing engagement with said frame'a'nd thereby'adjustably control-the tensioning of the web from said packaging material supply roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,396 Rumsey Nov. 26,1957 947,007 Wheat Jan. 18', 1910 2,445,080 Petskeyes July 13, 1948 2,615,200 Cloud Oct; 28, 1 952 2,624,990 Allen Jan. 13, 1953 2,795,907 Bestoso Iune 18, 1957 2,819,574 Maust Jan. 14, 1958 2,827,743 Rumsey' Mar. 25, 1958 2,865,576 'Woellner Dec. 23, 1958 2,879,636 Zuercher Mar. 31, 1959 

